David Collins Studio

Posted in People on 5 October, 2015

The management team behind David Collins Studio, talks in depth to Can Faik about the amazing projects the studio has completed and the upcoming 30 year anniversary celebration…

David Collins Studio combines imagination and creativity to bring to fruition luxury interior design and architectural projects across the globe. Established in 1985 by the late David Collins, and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, The Studio has redefined how people live through a series of bespoke and innovative works, each of which has a definitive sense of place.

In July 2013, a Management Team was formed comprising of Iain Watson (Managing Director and founding member of the team), Simon Rawlings (Creative Director), Lewis Taylor (Design Director) and David Kendall (Communications Director), all of whom worked closely with David and are responsible for continuing his legacy.

Working across the hospitality, retail and residential sectors, each David Collins Studio projects is executed with a meticulous attention to detail and is the result of an evolving collaboration between the client, the collective of designers themselves and The Studio’s network of artisans and craftsmen. Over the last 30 years David Collins Studio has developed its own design language. With each project, The Studio reinvents this vocabulary, as opposed to reiterating what has come before. The one constant throughout The Studio’s projects is the delivery of quality and detail. The Studio’s experience and project history has given it an in-depth understanding of how spaces operate and function, and it is essential that every element of each project utilizes, builds upon and learns from this experience.

This notion is prevalent throughout The Studio’s portfolio, including its hospitality projects. Having worked on projects in the hospitality sector from day one, during which time The Studio was responsible for redefining the London restaurant and bar scene, the sector continues to be a dominant focus for the brand and accounts for 40% of the overall global business today. Along with hotel and freestanding iconic restaurants and bars – The Blue Bar, The Connaught Bar, Roux At The Landau, Artesian, Bob Bob Ricard, Claridge’s Bar, The Wolseley, Massimo and Corinthia Garden Lounge to name a few – The Studio’s canon of hospitality work includes ten hotel projects, including The London NYC, The London West Hollywood, the Hilton Old Town Prague, the Lime Wood Hotel and the Delaire Graff Estate; with a further three currently in development in Europe, the Middle East and Australia.

The team of 60 is proud to be marking The Studio’s milestone 30th anniversary this year. Working with a guest curator and production company, a one-off exhibition which will ultimately be open to the public is planned for the end of October – a chance to chart David Collins’ legacy, the heritage of the David Collins Studio brand and to showcase the future with forthcoming projects and collaborations. Watch this space…

IAIN WATSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR

Tell me about your role at David Collins Studio?

I am the Managing Director of David Collins Studio and as such have an overview across all areas and functions of the business. The Studio works and moves forward at a great pace which is the way it has always been. I like the fact that this energy has been consistent and maintained over the last 30 years. I worked very closely with David Collins from the early years of the business and so I not only have my own experience of The Studio, our projects and our work, but also of working with David, what we can collectively deliver and most importantly where we add value as a Studio to our projects.

What five words would you use to describe David Collins Studio?

The words I would use to describe David Collins Studio would be global, passionate, visionary, cultured and original. In short, we are obsessive about design.

How long have you been involved with hotel design?

In my role as Managing Director, I have been involved in all of our projects, including our body of hotel projects. Throughout my 30 years with The Studio, I have been involved in business development, operations, finance, client services and brand direction. The hospitality sector is Simon’s area of expertise and passion and he has led on these projects for a number of years now and oversees a dedicated team to effectively bring them to fruition.

With so many hospitality designers in the industry, how does David Collins Studio stand out from the rest?

This is an interesting question and one we have discussed in depth recently as a team because, now in our 30th year, we have been looking back at our body of work and asking ourselves where do we add value, what is our USP? I think the consensus that we have reached is that our track record of delivery, the DNA of each our projects and our understanding of all sectors, whether that be retails projects or residential work – which really does inform a lot of designs – or our hospitality projects allows us to stand out. So really is it our breadth of experience and our ability to deliver. Hotel projects can be incredibly complex and span many years and are almost like a jigsaw puzzle in themselves – there are so many parts and elements and I think that having a dedicated hospitality team here at The Studio, who are experts in their field, and have proven to us and our clients that they can manage and deliver these projects is a real asset to our Studio.

How is the current economic climate affecting the hotel design market? And has David Collins Studio felt the effects?

We receive a number of RFPs or enquiries relating to hotel projects. We are a Studio of 60 staff and so there are only so many projects we can do at any one time. In the first instance, a lot of projects really are down to timing and seeing how the projects fit into our Studio. In terms of our clients we have always been very lucky and very fortunate to work with clients who appreciate and understand what we do, the complex nature of our work and where we add value. They understand the custom nature of what we deliver. That said, as a Studio we have to be competitive so it is a balance to ensure our clients realise that whilst we are providing a service, we are delivering to a very intricate and creative process.

What has been your favourite project to date?

My favourite project to date? That is quite difficult as I really have very fond memories of some of our older projects. So many of our first projects bring back such wonderful memories of those early days and it is wonderful to look back at projects such as La Tante Claire at the Berkeley Hotel and really still see the visual handwriting of The Studio prevalent as we see today. The more recent projects are equally important and show the development of The Studio and the construction of our brand’s legacy.

What’s next for you?

As a Studio we have always worked hard and are still working hard! This September sees the launch of our furniture range with Promemoria, the Italian furniture manufacturer, at The London Design Festival and this shift into products really is a new endeavour for us as a Studio and one we are really excited about.

What would be your dream hotel project?

Currently we are working on a large flagship hotel in the Middle East and The Windsor in Melbourne. As a Studio we like to work in new territories, with new clients and on projects that allow us to be creative. Ultimately, the work of our Studio does come down to our creativity so I think we have been lucky enough to be able to collaborate on so many amazing hotels!

Where currently ranks highest on your travel wish list?

I went to Japan a couple of years ago which was somewhere I had always wanted to visit. I really loved everything about it and I’m desperate to go back.

SIMON RAWLINGS, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Tell me about your role at David Collins Studio?

As Creative Director at David Collins Studio, I am responsible for the creative vision of the each project across all sectors, along with working with the rest of the Management Team in forming the vision of all aspects of the business.

How long have you been involved with hotel design?

I have been involved in hotel design from when I first started at The Studio some 17 years ago. The hospitality sector is one that is very much close to my heart – creating spaces that very much have experience, service, functionality and feeling at their core.

How important are public spaces in hotels?

I think it depends on the hotel and its location – for resort hotels I think they are more important than for those in a city.

How does David Collins Studio stand out from the rest?

We select our partners carefully and enjoy building long-term relationships. We create environments which are uniquely global, have a purpose and ultimately aim for our designs to remain iconic and stand the test of time.

What is the biggest thing the company has learnt over its years in the industry?

To understand the user, the customer, the staff, the operator – understanding these factors and elements are imperative and come before design is created.

What has been your favourite project to date?

I enjoyed working on the Delaire Graff Estate due to the huge wealth of local craftsmanship, talent and art available.

Where currently ranks highest on your travel wish list?

I would love to visit Bhutan – its dramatic and varied landscape is just beautiful and I hope to be able to experience it in person one day.

Where do you see hotel design in the future?

Hotel design must become less formulaic, less chintzy, less ‘decorated’ and more visionary and innovative.

What would you say are the three best places you’ve ever stayed?

COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali, The Upper House in Hong Kong and the Park Hyatt in Tokyo would be my top three.

Personal quote on The Studio’s 30th anniversary

Having sculpted the way in which people sleep, live, eat, drink and shop, the future is looking exciting for The Studio, with new sectors and challenges.

DAVID KENDALL, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Tell me about your role at David Collins Studio?

I am the Communications Director here at David Collins Studio, a role I have held since 2013 – although I have been with The Studio since 2007. We are currently working on 35 projects across the globe, so that keeps me busy in terms of openings! 2015 marks our 30th year and we are planning something quite special for later in the year to celebrate David Collins’ legacy and the future of The Studio.

What five words would you use to describe David Collins Studio?

Passionate if not obsessed with detail (six words…).

How long have you been involved with hotel design?

As part of the Management Team, my involvement would be at the outset, meeting new hospitality clients as part of the team. I feel very lucky to be able to travel and visit our amazing projects. I am very humbled to be invited and very proud to be able to represent The Studio.

Have you noticed any particular trends in hotel design?

As guests, clients and audiences become more and more informed about design, products and process, their expectations become higher and higher. We all work in an industry that provides a service and so I would say that regardless of trends, client service is generally key in every aspect of hotel and hospitality design.

How does David Collins Studio stand out from the rest?

Our 30 years design experience along with our experience and reach across the hospitality, residential and retail sectors really set us apart. With 60 members of staff and a dedicated education programme in The Studio there is a lot of cross-pollination between the designers.

What is the biggest thing the company has learnt over its years in the industry?

We are currently working on three very different hotel projects: a boutique hotel in Budapest, a large five star flagship hotel in the Middle East and The Windsor in Melbourne – a very important, historic, well loved building. With each project you practice and refine the team’s skills and learn something new. I guess never assume you know everything and always have that hunger to keep learning.

What has been your favourite project to date?

I know it is a cop-out but I love all of the projects because I am so invested in them! I spent a lot of time on site at The Delaire Graff Estate and that was a really great experience.

Where do you see hotel design in the future?

Guests need their hotels to give them a sense of place and I would hope that this pushes designers to create spaces that represent their location in increasingly subtle ways.

Personal quote on The Studio’s 30th anniversary

Out of respect to David and the team here at The Studio I want to make sure our office and our hard work continues to be acknowledged in our 30th year and for many more years to come.

LEWIS TAYLOR, DESIGN DIRECTOR

Tell me about your role at David Collins Studio?

I stand as Design Director at David Collins Studio, heading up the retail team. During my time at The Studio I am lucky to say that I have experienced retail, private and commercial residential, restaurant, bar, hotel, yacht and aviation design of the highest quality and innovation. You don’t get that in many – if any – places of work! Now as one of the Directors on the Management Team I am excited in taking the business forward on the journey over the next 30 years.

How important are public spaces in hotels?

Public spaces within hotels are very important. To me, they are what hotels use as a signature and allow the brand to express their service, tone of voice and unique qualities.

How does David Collins Studio stand out from the rest?

I would say that our projects very much stand out in their own accord. No matter what sector we are designing in, timelessness, longevity and attention to detail are the foundations of what we do.

What’s next for you?

We continue our relationship with the Alexander McQueen brand and see a new duplex flagship store opening in Paris at the end of the summer. This store is one that I am very exciting about and will be a culmination of the McQueen vocabulary that appears within all of the 38 stores we have designed and developed in collaboration with Sarah Burton to date.

What would be your dream hotel project?

With us being a British brand and with our legacy very much having been established in London, I would love to work on a flagship hotel in London.

Where currently ranks highest on your travel wish list?

An easy answer for me – Iceland, hands down!

What would you say are the three best places you’ve ever stayed?

One that most definitely tops the list is Hotel Okura in Tokyo – its style is very much glamour from a time long ago. It is a shame that it won’t be around for much longer.

www.davidcollins.com